A Commitment To Our Community

I am Black. So, is my son. We are at church in this very old picture below. He attends college now. He is a good kid. Despite the positive things, I live with a certain amount of concern that my child has to be a little bit more careful to avoid confrontations with law enforcement while driving from school or work. The bad thing about that term I used ..."a little bit" well it is not actually a standard unit of measurement. Let's just say we could possibly never get the same amount twice if we were trying to determine something because there is no type of numerical value. This is not a good way to determine an exact course of action. I have not said as much as I should have about the death of George Floyd and the aftermath in our country. My reasoning was that I avoid redundancy . Everything I would have said was addressed already in media and by individuals who feel the same way I do. African American and other minorities face challenges that do not always apply to other groups in the United States and the issues of systemic racism and police brutality need to be addressed. All lives matter sure. But, not to all people. Please do not forget to make that key distinction. As a country we have become painfully un-empathic to anything that does not affect us directly. It is almost like we adopted the stance that if our front yard is not on fire we can relax. In my opinion that is a great way to get exactly what you are trying to avoid. A fire in your front yard. Being American is a team sport. We do not ignore each other when we are needed. Especially when justice is involved. I have decided to make a five figure commitment over the next two years to organizations that address social justice, inequalities in education and employment for minorities, and civil rights. I will make the arrangements over the next few months. The point I want to make is to get more involved. This is your country also. I see way too many sofa and loveseat politicians running around on social media. Donate, volunteer, fundraise or educate. The amount of time, cash, or your politics do not matter. The effort and intent do.